Genshin Impact – Version Luna III continues the story of Nod-Krai past the defeat of Rerir, bringing back some familiar faces, introducing new ones, and ending on a twist.
While the general populace of Nod-Krai prepares for the Moon-Prayer Night with an especially festive spirit, having just gone through a terrifying ordeal with the Wild Hunt, our cast of misfits is not having such a grand time in the beginning.
Columbina is losing her fight against the rejection of Teyvat, strange phantoms appear all around the region, the Trilunar Syzygy is at hand, and the witches of the Hexenzirkel report disturbances to the world’s border – who would have their mind set towards celebrating in circumstances like that?
Hopefully, not all is lost. With the help of Nicole, Alice and Barbeloth, Columbina’s friends get a nudge in the direction to save her, while the witches throw their lot in to research the phantoms and protect the world.
Despite finding the phantom of their spaceship, the Traveler was not successful in gleaning any special information from it due to being unable to interact with it in any meaningful way, shape, or form. How did it happen that the Traveler remained in the cockpit while the Twin arrived in Khaenri’ah possibly years before the ship crashed? Was the Twin snatched right from the ship by the Khaenri’an magic? How did the Traveler land safely then – was there someone else? Questions, questions.
An amusing scene comes in the very beginning when Jahoda comes running into the Curatorium and excitedly tells everyone that she’s found something special, like nothing she’s seen before – to which the Traveler and Paimon offhandedly mention it’s the Traveler’s spaceship, and everyone simply leaves it at that. A spaceship that an outworlder used to get to Teyvat, whatever, nothing special, happens every Wednesday. It is much like everyone simply accepting that the Traveler can wield multiple elements without a Vision or a Moon Wheel, and suddenly being experts on the Gnoses, something that was a big and scary secret up until around Sumeru.
The mystery of the Phantoms is soon left to Albedo, Durin, Flins and the Wanderer when a more pressing matter arises: the disappearance of the Mood Goddess who might not have enough power to hold on until the Moon-Prayer Night. Unaware that the disembodied maiden is following their search, our group looks far and wide, and receives some unexpected help. In order to strengthen her connection with Teyvat, Alice suggests her friends find her “real name” and directs them to the local lore expert and chatterbox, Nicole or “N”. Finally having found some captive audience, Nicole is eager to flex her knowledge on all things related to ancient history and help out in the process.
What comes next is a long and somewhat arduous journey for the Traveler, Arlecchino and Lauma, all having the highest level of Kuuvahki attunement among the group. During this adventure among the Hyperborean ruins, the players get another round of info dump about the ancient history of Teyvat, including the war between the Primordial One and the Dragon King Nibelung, now corrupted by the Abyss, that cost the lives of all three Moon Sisters.
But what really matters to us is the following: the phantoms recall history that doesn’t quite match with what Nicole remembers, and Columbina never had a “real” name to begin with. Before the trio could despair, Nicole reassured them that all they need to do is “grant” Columbina a name – after all, they all already have important memories related to “Columbina”, so it’s time to make it official.
And that is exactly what the group does – with Columbina claiming the name for herself and acknowledging the connections she has made, regaining her physical form, enjoying the best Moon-Prayer Night ever, and preparing for the bittersweet departure back to the moon. The Traveler even spoke more during the patch, especially the festival, than the rest of the game combined.
But if you have played HoYoverse games for any length of time at all, you’d know one universal truth: never relax when things seem to be going well, because the other shoe is about to drop and bring the depression impact into action.
Dottore’s involvement had been teased since relatively early Natlan, where he was said to be departing for Nod-Krai and leading the Kuuvahki research. Not only that, but both Arlecchino and Sandrone bring up his suspicious disappearance and lack of activity, with the Wanderer echoing their statement. And if anyone is familiar with the way he does things, it’s this trio, and they’re right on the money again.
The man, the myth, the legend had been behind pretty much everything that happened in Nod-Krai ever since the Traveler set foot in this region. It is hinted that he could have aided Rerir with his resurrection, revealed that he had distracted the Hexenzirkel by creating a huge fuss at Teyvat’s borders, deceived and used the phantoms to create a false moon – all to steal away Columbina, the Moon Marrows, and the divine authority they hold.
The only thing that the man hasn’t done so far is burn Irminsul – which I’m still waiting for, years after the initial teaser. A little experiment in “blasphemy,” as he’s called it.
However, things didn’t go exactly according to plan for him, either. Columbina slipped away into Moon’s Reflection – much like Tholindis and Rerir before her – with the rest unable to follow. With the Moon Goddess out of his grasp, his control over the experiment shattered, and he went back into hiding.
In this one act of defiance, he’s also managed to piss off pretty much everyone in the process. Two and a half of Fatui Harbingers are sharpening their pitchforks and preparing the torches – though, frankly, Arlecchino, Sandrone and the Wanderer need no extra reason to throw hands against Dottore.
The Witches are royally annoyed and send Albedo and Durin to deliver a can of whoop-ass in their place. Varka, Flins, Lauma, Nefer, and the rest are ready to assist as well. All in all, it seems to lead to a proper raid boss-like confrontation coming soon.
According to Alice, Dottore is attempting to transcend his destiny and finish an experiment only a god might complete. And, to do that, he has tried to acquire the power that predated the Heavenly Principles and the concept of Teyvat’s fate as we know it.
Considering that during the events of Sumeru, this mad scientist created a false god, the creation of a fake moon honestly does not come as too much of a surprise. The interesting part comes in the destiny he attempts to avoid – which could also explain his interest in Irminsul and the Aranara. He does not seem to crave power or knowledge just for their own sake or a meddlesome reason like control over the whole world or something of that sort.
What could it be, then? From the previous quests and Durin’s own story, we know that (almost) every creature on Teyvat has a fate that is set in stone, linked to their very name and Constellation on the fake sky. Some, like the Wanderer or Durin’s mother, attempt to rewrite or challenge this destiny, but the chances of succeeding are incredibly slim and usually involve some other greater power – like a Descender, Shades, or, apparently, the moons.
But one thing is clear: whatever it is, Dottore cannot be allowed to succeed, and it’s time to farm him for weekly boss materials with wild abandon come Version Luna IV.
However, the version launched with more than just the main quest. Players also got access to the new Hexerei Rite buffs, short, bite-sized quests that are required to unlock them, and Durin’s story quest “Draco Rubedo Chapter”. All of them introduce their own important additions to the update.
Durin’s quest reinforces the importance of names and how they reflect people’s fate – just like their Constellations on the fake sky. His creator and mother, M, grieved the evil dragon, Durin of Dragonspine, and his unfair fate. Stubbornly, she has decided she will write him a better one – and thus mini-Durin of Simulanka was created. But the fate of this world is not so easily shaken, and once he had left Simulanka and arrived in Teyvat, his fate became forever mixed with that of the evil dragon.
What follows is a two-fold adventure: M, Barbeloth, Rhinedottir and Alice all joining forces to create the magic of storytelling that will keep the little dragon going. Meanwhile, the Traveler, Paimon, Durin and his friends all explore his story, before he ultimately becomes its new author and takes control of the narrative, becoming free of Dragonspine’s destiny.
The Hexerei quests or the Witch’s Homework give personified quests to each of the buffed characters. I know there’s been a concern about locking upgrades behind a quest, but those are literally just 5 to 10 minutes long… except for Fischl’s since she meets Nicole and the two chatterboxes clash.
They are also following the similar, thin plot line: the darkness gathers, and it is up to everyone to oppose it. To that end, instead of fighting personally, the Witches have found a way to unlock people’s hidden potential. Here are the story bits reflected in the quests:
Razor: the Abyss is creeping closer to Mondstadt. Wolf-lord of the North, Andrius, Razor himself and his lupical all join forces to oppose the invaders. The quest also added some actual wolves to Mondstadt! Perhaps one day we’ll actually see horses and cows?
Mona’s quest brought up the gates of Khaenri’ah and the inaccuracy of Hydromacy due to the false firmament. Even if it ultimately ended up as Barbeloth’s prank on her student, it felt like the points expressed were true.
Fischl’s story shares more details about Nicole and Seelie. It also explains how she managed to create Oz.
Sucrose speculated that the limits and the laws of Teyvat are changing due to some unknown factor.
Klee’s task is a little adventure she goes on together with the Traveler and Paimon, braving the dangers on the way. Passing her mother’s trial, awards Klee with a little witch hat for her Dodoco… and some extra explosive abilities.
Venti laid off the booze and decided to embrace his position as the Anemo Archon having felt the shadows gather in the distance. The quest takes us to that mysterious island “favored by time” off the shore of Mondstadt. Venti describes it as the place where Time and Wind met in the distant past. Barbatos fears that the impending crisis may be beyond what humans can solve… As it is his duty to intervene, he will bring forth the wind strong enough to disperse whatever storm endangers his nation.
Albedo hit a bit of a dead end, feeling like he’s fulfilled his ambitions and there is nothing left but boredom. A message from his creator, Rhinedottir, delivered by a talking cat Sebas, says the following: “The tree takes pride in its most perfect fruit – so complete, so flawless. But you, O seed of dreams, do not settle for being the king of the universe confined in its flesh”. In doing so, the illustrious mage ushered her student to broaden his horizons.
Durin’s was quite an interesting one. The little dragon is contacted by none other than Rhinedottir, the creator of the “evil dragon” Durin. While her previous feelings on the matter were unexplored, here she sounds almost remorseful, noting that the original Durin was an incomplete creation who lacked the will to control his strength. In the end, his Abyssal powers were beyond what he could sustain, and they twisted him, consumed him, and led to his ultimate fate. To that end, having learned of her friend M’s goals, she’s created a special technique that would seal mini-Durin’s tainted powers, but at a cost – though ultimately the little dragon proved himself to the witch, and the technique was destroyed.
Throughout the version, Nicole was the sole person who was supposed to be communicating through telepathy, but the lip sync has not improved at all, and Teyvat seems like the gathering spot for telepaths all around. Additionally, Albedo still barely blinks, which gives a slightly creepy feeling from his soulless stare.
Columbina and her unique walk/run animation are gorgeous… but that also brings to attention the fact that other characters who could and, frankly, should have similar are quite lacking in that respect. Leaving the Archons alone, we have characters that have their own wings and even use them during their abilities/animations: Kujou Sara, a tengu, and Durin himself. Yet, they still stick to the basic gliders. I hope this is an indication that the developers are ready to explore more unique animations going forward.
All in all, Luna III could be called Lore Drop: The Patch, despite initially looking like a filler before the storm hits. Traveler’s spaceship, Heavenly Principles, the Shades, the Moon Sisters, and even the fate system in very general terms have all received their fair share of information, mostly thanks to the endearing bubbling of Nicole and machinations of Alice.
The developers continue to masterfully give attention to all of the varied characters, some more, some less, all important. Additionally, it’s quite interesting to see how certain personalities work together: calm Albedo, taciturn and somewhat bitter Wanderer, earnest Durin and polite Flins; kind-hearted and easygoing Varka, jaded Nefer and self-sacrificial Lauma; larger-than-life Alice, easily flustered geek Nicole, “get off my lawn” Barbeloth, and the rest.
Last but not least, a closer look at Hexenzirkel. I love it when we get an involved group of NPCs with certain relationships, tensions and politics among its members – be it Hexenzirkel, Fatui, Archons even (new official meeting when?). And the witches certainly live up to their reputation.
Initially, when HoYoverse revealed that instead of going to Snezhnaya, we’re going to be visiting yet another region with the “previously unheard of primordial power”, I had been quite sceptical. However, seeing all the lore reveals and the long-awaited worldbuilding, QoL and cinematography improvements, I believe Nod-Krai is something Genshin has genuinely needed for a while. A chance to slow down the pace and explain the things in the worldbuilding that remained just outside of the available lore or barely explored.
